Country for PR: United Kingdom
Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Tuesday, August 11 2020 - 07:42
AsiaNet
PHC Holdings Corporation and Ascensia Diabetes Care Announce Financing Agreement and Exclusive Global Commercial Agreement With Senseonics
TOKYO and BASEL, Switzerland, August 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

PHC Holdings Corporation and Ascensia Diabetes Care, a PHC Group company, today 
announced a strategic partnership with Senseonics Holdings, Inc., a medical 
technology company focused on the development and commercialization of 
long-term, implantable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for people 
with diabetes. The partnership comprises a global commercialization and 
distribution agreement and a concurrent financing agreement. 

As part of the commercialization and distribution agreement, Ascensia has been 
appointed the exclusive global distribution partner for Senseonics' CGM 
systems, including Eversense(R), Eversense(R) XL and future generation products 
in development, such as the 365-day implantable sensor. In the U.S., Ascensia 
will initiate marketing and sales activities of the Eversense product in the 
coming months, in collaboration with Senseonics, and will take over full 
responsibility in the first quarter of 2021. In Europe, Ascensia will begin 
commercialization activities in selected countries once Senseonics' existing 
distribution relationships have concluded.  

Under the terms of the agreement, the exclusive distribution rights to 
Senseonics' products are expected to last through 2025, with the exact timing 
dependent on factors including the launch dates for certain future generation 
products. 

As part of the financing agreement, PHC Holdings Corporation, the parent 
company of Ascensia, has made an initial strategic investment of USD $35 
million into Senseonics in the form of convertible debt securities. In 
addition, a further USD $15 million investment will be provided in exchange for 
Senseonics convertible preferred equity, upon FDA approval of the 180-day 
Eversense product. 

"We are thrilled to be entering into this partnership with Senseonics and 
strongly believe in the value of the Eversense technology. They have highly 
accurate and effective products on the market and a strong pipeline of 
innovative solutions that can address the needs of people with diabetes. We are 
excited by their future generation products, particularly the 365-day sensor, 
which we think has the potential to simplify diabetes management and improve 
lives," explained Robert Schumm, President of Ascensia Diabetes Care and 
Diabetes Management Domain Head, PHC Group.

He added, "This partnership is the next step in building a world-class diabetes 
care franchise for Ascensia, as we look to expand our business beyond blood 
glucose monitoring. It will enable us to establish a presence in the CGM 
market, especially in the U.S. and Europe, and will further strengthen our 
existing portfolio of products. We believe that the combination of our 
commercial expertise and infrastructure, alongside Senseonics' product 
development and clinical expertise, will help to get the Eversense and 
Eversense XL products into the hands of people with diabetes who can benefit 
from them. Our aim is to work together to bring these highly effective 
technologies to more people with diabetes, therefore providing further choice 
in CGM for diabetes management. We look forward to launching the 180-day 
Eversense product in the U.S. and a long and successful relationship with 
Senseonics."  

"We are extremely excited to be partnering with Ascensia, a global leader in 
the diabetes technology space. Ascensia is well known for their high-quality 
CONTOUR products used by more than 10 million patients worldwide to help manage 
their diabetes," said Tim Goodnow, PhD, President and CEO of Senseonics. "Their 
global commercial infrastructure and commitment to the Eversense systems will 
drive market penetration, while allowing Senseonics to focus on further 
development of our implanted technology." 

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1226338/Eversense_CGM.jpg  
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/749389/Ascensia_Diabetes_Care_Logo.jpg 

Source: Ascensia Diabetes Care only and PHC Holdings Corporation